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Arrow Round Table: "Trust But Verify"

Oliver put the list ahead of Diggle, Thea celebrated her 18th birthday with a horrible ending, and Felicity helped Oliver again on the latest episode of Arrow.

Below, our Arrow Round Table - comprised of TV Fanatic staff members Carla Day, Kate Brooks and Carissa Pavlica, along with Laurel Brown from BuddyTV - break down all the betrayals, action and teenage angst. Agree or disagree with us? We want to hear from you!

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What was your favorite moment in "Trust But Verify"?Kate: The scene with Diggle and his sister-in-law where they were looking at each other through the fence. It was an emotional moment where you saw just how much they care about each other. I loved it!

Carissa: Laurel admitting she had something with Tommy. It was nice that she was letting herself live a little and get into the moment without putting too much thought into things. He's been there for her, she can feel that and she's willing to admit her feelings are deeper than friendship. I like that.

Laurel: The moment that really sticks with me was Oliver's almost-throwaway comment about how he got a message from his father a few years earlier. That message apparently assured Oliver that the list was real. But, if we believe what Oliver said, he might not have gotten the message while on the island. Does this mean that Oliver left the island at some point in that five-year period? If so, how? Why? Why did he go back? A single sentence may have opened a whole world of new plots for the show!

Carla: Those are all great scenes that I enjoyed. Another small moment that stood out was when Diggle knew that Oliver had put a tracker on him and outed Oliver's indiscreet planting job.

Despite how it all played out, should Oliver have listened to Diggle rather than blindly disregarding his beliefs and feelings?Kate: No, he shouldn't have. I wanted the list to be wrong but I knew that it wouldn't be and so did Oliver. If in doubt, don't doubt the list. Maybe sometime in the future this theory will be proved wrong.

Carissa: He shouldn't have so callously disregarded how Diggle was feeling about his old friend. Whether or not it would have changed the course of his actions, he should have at least given him the respect he deserved, as a friend and partner, to be heard.

Laurel: Based on the idea that the list is just the scribbled names of people Papa Queen disliked, then yes. Definitely Oliver should have listened to Diggle. If the list is, on the other hand, an absolute truth of some sort, then probably not. This brings up an interesting point about Oliver -- not only is he angry and driven, but he never even considers the idea that, in five years, any of these people could have changed. Diggle allows for more nuance in his view of humanity. At some point, he'll be right, even if this wasn't the time.

Carla: Yes. Oliver has too much faith in a list of unknown origins. He mentioned that he knows where it came from, but that doesn't seem like enough to entirely discount Diggle's beliefs. Oliver betrayed his friend and confidant in that moment. It all worked, but that was this time.

Given Thea's age, was her reaction to her mother's actions understandable? An overreaction? Typical teenage angst?Kate: Typical teenage angst. This show has enough drama without Thea so her acting like a child is a little annoying but from day one we've known that she is messed up. It's a cry for help and I really want someone to help her so we can move on.

Carissa: The has been through hell. All things considered, I'm surprised she hasn't acted out more often, and sooner than now. In hindsight, it would have been better if she had done it before her 18th birthday and adulthood, and before the worst drug to hit The Glades became her weakness.

Laurel: Thea saw the same behavior around the time her father died. That alone would be enough to stir up all kinds of emotions and cause Thea to lash out. I mean, of course she overreacted. She's a teenager. That's what teenagers do. But the basis for her reaction was sound -- not having any other theory, Thea assumed her mother was having an affair.

Carla: Poor Thea. I actually feel a bit bad for her. She has been through so much with her father's death, the presumed betrayal by her mother and then just when she was starting to get her family back the past comes crushing back at her. It's easy to forget she's a teenager, but she is young. She overreacted, but in an understandable teenage angst kinda way.

Should Diggle and his sister-in-law hook up? Pros? Cons?Kate: Yes! I think Diggle needs someone and I want it to be her. The cons are that he's Arrow's sidekick and if she were to find out she wouldn't be pleased. If she worried then that would stress out Diggle, which will take him off his game. But the Pros are that Diggle gets some action!

Carissa: I don't know enough about her to make a call on it, but I don't think it's the best time for either he or Oliver to be hooking up with someone. They are just barely scratching the surface of what it means to be protectors of Starling City and they don't know if they'll have the time for relationships or the ability to keep someone they get involved with out of danger. As much as I'd love to see them get some action, it doesn't seem wise.

Laurel: For the sake of story, of course! Diggle obviously adores her. He may have loved her even before his brother died. What I want to know is -- is Diggle's "nephew" actually his son? That would be a fun plot twist. Still, all of this would complicate Diggle's life. So the relationship might be bad for him. But, either way, it's great for us!

Carla: They clearly have feelings for each other. They should go for it. He does have a lot going on, as Carrissa mentions, but he can still get some loving! Never considered that his nephew could be his son. Hmm ... intriguing idea.

What will be the repercussions for Oliver having Felicity break the encryption on the file, if any?Kate: I hope so because Felicity is someone I want to see more of. I really want her to be on team Arrow very soon. They are in need of a good tech person and if Oliver keeps going to her it's only a matter of time before she discovers it or starts questioning his true motives.

Carissa: There are always repercussions. She's a really smart cookie and if Oliver doesn't make use of her, and quickly, I'm afraid Malcolm might appeal to her and use her intelligence against the people she currently enjoys assisting. That would be a real shame.

Laurel: The company she broke into was corrupt and taken down, so she should be safe. I don't think the Malcolm/Moira conspiracy will find her easily either -- Felicity's work for Walter was way more obvious, after all. She survived that. The repercussion I want to see is Felicity figuring out what Oliver is up to. It doesn't take a genius to figure out Oliver is lying, and Felicity is a genius. So I want her to figure out Oliver's secret. Then I want her to date Oliver. Because Felicity is the best.

Carla: Felicity is awesome. I'd be surprised if she doesn't have inklings about what Oliver is up to even if we haven't seen it. She's smart. I hope she starts to question him and gets brought on board Team Arrow soon.